Oxygen generators and liquid oxygen are currently the two mainstream oxygen supply methods, with significant differences in installation costs. Among them, oxygen generators have obvious advantages in infrastructure investment, equipment supporting, construction cycle and additional costs, making them more suitable for small and medium-sized gas consumption scenarios. The following specifically analyzes the installation cost advantages of oxygen generators based on practical application situations.
1. Lower Infrastructure Investment, No Need for Special Protective Facilities
Liquid oxygen installation has strict requirements on the site, requiring the construction of a dedicated liquid oxygen room and related protective facilities, resulting in high infrastructure investment. At the same time, as a pressure vessel, the liquid oxygen storage tank needs to be installed in an open and ventilated area. In some scenarios, additional fire partitions need to be built, and special transportation and loading/unloading channels need to be reserved, leading to high implicit infrastructure costs.
Oxygen generators do not require special protective infrastructure and have flexible installation scenarios. Small oxygen generators can be directly placed on a flat indoor ground, while large medical oxygen generators only need a simple machine room. There is no need to additionally build cofferdams, fire partitions and other facilities, so the infrastructure cost is negligible. For scenarios with limited space, oxygen generators can be placed flexibly, further reducing the implicit costs related to the site.
2. Simple Equipment Supporting, Reducing Investment in Auxiliary Systems
The installation of a liquid oxygen system requires a complete set of supporting auxiliary equipment. In addition to the low-temperature liquid storage tank, it is also necessary to equip evaporators, pressure reducing boxes, standby manifolds and other components. Moreover, the transportation of liquid oxygen requires special low-temperature pipelines, which have high requirements on materials and laying technology, resulting in high supporting costs.
The supporting equipment of oxygen generators is relatively simple. The core only needs basic components such as the main unit, air compressor and filter, without complex vaporization, pressure reduction and standby systems. Its pipeline laying requirements are loose, and ordinary medical stainless steel pipes can meet the needs, which can greatly reduce the supporting pipeline cost. At the same time, oxygen generators can be flexibly configured according to gas demand, without the need for one-time investment in a complete set of large-scale auxiliary systems.
3. Shorter Construction Cycle, Controllable Labor and Management Costs
The installation process of the liquid oxygen system is complex and the cycle is long. In addition, the liquid oxygen storage tank is a special equipment, which needs to complete approval and filing before installation. During the installation process, a professional team is required to perform multiple processes, and a special equipment inspection agency is also required to participate in the inspection. The labor and management costs are high, and multi-team collaboration is required, further increasing the expenditure.
The installation process of oxygen generators is simple and the cycle is short. Small oxygen generators only need 1-2 professional personnel to complete commissioning and put into use within 1-2 days; even if large medical oxygen generators involve relocation and renovation, the construction cycle can be controlled within 1-2 weeks. Some small oxygen generators do not require special equipment approval and filing, and do not need a professional team to be stationed for long-term commissioning, so the labor cost is low. In addition, no multi-team collaboration is required, and the management process is simpler.
4. No Implicit Additional Costs, More Flexible Post-adjustment
Liquid oxygen installation has a number of implicit additional costs. The liquid oxygen storage tank needs regular safety inspection and maintenance, and it is also necessary to equip explosion-proof lighting, explosion-proof sockets and other safety facilities. Moreover, after the installation of the liquid oxygen system, it is difficult to flexibly adjust the equipment scale. If the gas demand changes, it is necessary to re-invest funds to add equipment and lay pipelines, resulting in high adjustment costs. In addition, liquid oxygen supply relies on external transportation, so it is necessary to reserve relevant supporting costs.
Oxygen generators have no additional implicit costs and do not need to be equipped with explosion-proof facilities, only simple daily maintenance is required. At the same time, oxygen generators can flexibly increase or decrease the number of equipment according to gas demand, without large-scale pipeline and facility renovation, so the adjustment cost is low. Even if relocation is involved, the relevant cost is much lower than that of the liquid oxygen system. In addition, oxygen generators can achieve on-site continuous production, without relying on external transportation, which can save the implicit costs related to transportation.
5. Summary
The installation cost advantages of oxygen generators are mainly reflected in low infrastructure investment, simple equipment supporting, short construction cycle, no obvious implicit costs, etc., which are especially suitable for small and medium-sized gas consumption scenarios such as community hospitals, small clinics, families and small factories. Compared with liquid oxygen, oxygen generators can effectively reduce the capital investment and time cost during the installation stage, and the post-adjustment is more flexible. In long-term use, the comprehensive cost can be further controlled through simplified maintenance and management.